He was also convicted of trying to set up a terror training camp in Oregon and of promoting violent, global jihad.

The Egyptian-born cleric denied the charges throughout and claimed that his militant links were part of an attempt to find peace with extremists.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Katherine Forrest to sentence him to life in prison.

His sentence will be handed down in a hearing that starts at 3pm, UK time, at a courthouse no more than few blocks from the site of the September 11 terror attacks.

His defence team has requested he be allowed to serve the sentence at a prison hospital, where the needs of a double amputee can best be met - rather than the maximum security facility in Colorado where the US imprisons its most dangerous terrorists.

In documents filed this week, they asked the court to accord the 56-year-old a "home health aide", shower, toilet and basin suited to the needs of an amputee, all housed in facilities approved by an occupational therapist.

The trial marked a victory for British and American authorities and came at the end of an eight-year extradition battle. However, it also raised questions about how he was able to operate for so many years despite warnings that he was at the centre of a terror network.